Providence Welcomes Largest Incoming Class in History

Providence Christian College made history this fall by welcoming the largest class in school history. 29 students hailing from Arizona, California, Texas, Virgina, New Hampshire, and Washington among other places arrived at Providence for the new semester and the new year.

Student move-in day usually means high temperatures and this year was no exception, with temperatures in the low to mid-90s. Undeterred by the heat, Providence resident assistants and class officers moved the new students into their dorms.

“Wow we didn’t even have to really move anything!” noted new transfer student Ross Gutierrez about the crew of Providence staff and upperclassmen that descended on his vehicle to move his belongings. “Kind of nice to not have to move everything ourselves.”

After a few hours on campus, the new students started to don their orange and blue orientation shirts which displayed the theme for this school year’s chapel: What are you waiting for?, a theme drawn from Psalm 27:13 that encourages an active waiting on the Lord. As part of the orientation weekend, Dr. McIlhenny presented his annual “Providence Perspective” to the new class, emphasizing Providence’s commitment to exploring and understanding both God’s special and general revelation. Parents and students alike spent time on campus on Saturday, before parents headed home on Sunday.

The historic number of students in this year’s incoming class fell on the same year that the most applications for admission were submitted, an increase of 46% over the previous year. The incoming student class reflects an increase of 52% over last years incoming class and an increase of 16% over the largest incoming class previous to this year.